Hunting pack stool and method of use thereof

ABSTRACT

A packable seating apparatus having a single planar surface with a seat attached thereto, wherein the lower portion of the planar surface forms legs which raise the seat portion from the ground. The apparatus has storage compartments formed therein, support for a sleeping bag, and a color change device. The apparatus further utilizes any convenient surface, such as a tree or the like, as an additional support. In an alternate embodiment, the present invention includes a kickstand to allow free-standing support.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates generally to hunting accessories, and morespecifically to a hunting pack stool and method of use thereof, whereinthe present invention provides a portable and convenient seatingapparatus and packable unit adapted to carry an assortment of huntingand camping equipment.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

While harvesting game, hunters must often spend long periods of time ina stationary position, remaining nearly motionless to avoid makingnoise, so as to not frighten the animals being hunted. As such, huntersoften experience discomfort and fatigue remaining standing for longperiods of time, and it is desirable that hunters be able to sitcomfortably during such periods. Consequently, hunters have oftencarried various types of seating apparatus into the field for for theircomfort and convenience.

For instance, there are backpack devices that provide integral seats,but during use, such devices rest on the ground. With respect to adevice, such as that disclosed in U.S. Patent Appl. No. 2002/0113103 toO'Hare, the seat portion is in contact with the ground, requiring ahunter to sit in an uncomfortable cross-legged position. Such devicesalso are not desirable during cold weather due to the transfer of heataway from the hunter to the colder ground with which the seat is incontact.

Other devices comprise folding chairs and/or folding legs and, thus,require manipulation before they can be utilized, following removal fromthe back of a hunter. Examples of such folding chairs are shown in U.S.Pat. No. 4,773,574 to Burgard, U.S. Pat. No. 6,347,406 to Jones et al.,U.S. Design Pat. No. 284,910 to Handy, and U.S. Design Pat. No. 338,779to Albert. Still other devices require fabrication from a plurality ofcomponents to provide a framework that can be carried upon a hunter'sback and to support a seat component, such as shown by U.S. Pat. No.4,602,698 to Grant. It is disadvantageous for a hunter in the field tohave to assemble his seating device, thereby causing extensive motionand noise.

Other devices include storage areas, some located under a seatcomponent, others located at the sides thereof, such as shown by U.S.Pat. No. 5,318,342 to Hale. Such devices lack a means for attaching asleeping bag or other such devices carried externally.

Yet other devices must be secured either to a tree, such as shown byU.S. Pat. No. 4,601,364, supported from overhead, such as shown by U.S.Design Pat. No. 356,692 to Dawson, or attached to the ground, typicallyvia a pole that is inserted into the ground such as is shown by U.S.Design Pat. No. 309,989 to Gotts. The attachment to a support requiresmotion and noise and is thus disadvantageous when a hunter isendeavoring to avoid frightening game.

Still other devices combine a spartan framework to form a portable seatand carrier such as shown by U.S. Design Pat. No. 306,379 to Kobasic.Such a device lacks the provision of a comfortable seating surface for ahunter.

All of the above devices fail to provide a comfortable seating surface,providing full support, off the ground, in a packable form that can bothbe leaned against a vertical surface, or that can stand independently.They further lack the ability to facilitate quick confinement of asleeping bag or similar large equipment by the pack and stoolcombination in combination with additional storage areas, andparticularly lack a kickstand support.

Therefore, it is readily apparent that there is a need for a huntingstool that can readily be carried into the field to permit a hunter toremain comfortable during long periods of relative motionlessness. Thereis a further need for such an apparatus that is light in weight, yetcapable of carrying many of the items that a hunter might require duringperiods when the hunter is harvesting game. There is yet a further needfor a device that can be readily set up and utilized without excessivemotion or noise. There is an additional need for a device that can beutilized in a leaning position against an existing support, yet in theabsence of such support, has a facility for independent support, such asa kickstand. There is still a further need for such an apparatus thatcan be used by a hunter during seasons for various different game, suchas deer hunting season and turkey hunting season. As will be more fullydetailed hereinbelow, it is to the provision of such an apparatus thatthe present invention is directed.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Briefly described, in a preferred embodiment, the present inventionovercomes the above-mentioned disadvantages and meets the recognizedneed for such a apparatus by providing embodiments directed to apackable camouflaged seating apparatus, wherein the apparatus comprisesa single planar surface having a seat attached thereto, along withvarious storage compartments. A lower section of the planar surfaceforms legs to raise the seat area from the ground, and the apparatus canbe leaned against a surface such as a tree, allowing a hunter to sitcomfortably. The apparatus further includes straps to facilitatecarrying upon the back of a hunter or other user for transporting to andfrom a hunting site.

More specifically, the present invention is a camouflaged pack stool fora hunter, wherein the pack stool has a backplane portion comprising legsand back, a seating area and storage compartments. The present inventionis particularly advantageous in use and application due to its abilityto permit a hunter to carry a seating apparatus to a remote area whileretaining a camouflaged appearance. While being transported by a hunter,the apparatus can be held on a hunter's back in the same fashion as abackpack and further has a cover sheet of material that can be unrolledto cover the exposed rear surface with a color other than that of theoverall camouflage. Such a color change is desirable during big gamehunting season when hunters wear orange clothing or the like in order tobe readily identifiable.

Upon reaching the hunting site, the apparatus is placed on the groundand leaned against a tree or other such support, wherein the base of theplanar surface rests against the ground and the top of the planarsurface rests against the tree to prevent the apparatus from falling.The camouflage appearance of the apparatus allows it and its seatedoccupant to blend into the surrounding foliage.

In an alternate embodiment of the present invention, a kickstand deviceis attached, wherein the pack stool can be positioned without need of anadditional surface to lean against. In such fashion, a hunter canutilize the pack stool apparatus of the present invention in areaslacking a suitable leaning surface. The kickstand can further beutilized to stand the pack stool upright while not being utilized.

Accordingly, a feature and advantage of the present invention is itsability to provide a hunter with a comfortable seating surface duringperiods of immobility.

Another feature and advantage of the present invention is its ability tobe carried as a backpack by a hunter.

Still another feature and advantage of the present invention is itsability to carry a large quantity and variety of objects typicallyrequired by a hunter during the harvesting of game.

Yet another feature and advantage of the present invention is itsincorporation of a kickstand to permit unassisted retention in anupright position.

Yet still another feature and advantage of the present invention is itsability to provide a warning coloration to identify the hunter to othersin the field.

A further feature and advantage of the present invention is its lowmaterial cost and ease of manufacture.

These and other features and advantages of the present invention willbecome more apparent to one skilled in the art from the followingdescription and claims when read in light of the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will be better understood by reading the DetailedDescription of the Preferred and Selected Alternate Embodiments withreference to the accompanying drawing figures, in which like referencenumerals denote similar structure and refer to like elements throughout,and in which:

FIG. 1 is a side view of a hunting pack stool apparatus according to apreferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2A is a front view of a hunting pack stool apparatus according to apreferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2B is a detail view of the hunting pack stool apparatus of FIG. 2Aafter unrolling of a cover sheet;

FIG. 3 is a rear view of a hunting pack stool apparatus according to apreferred embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 4 is a detail view of the hunting pack stool apparatus of FIG. 1according to an alternate embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED AND SELECTED ALTERNATIVEEMBODIMENTS

In describing the preferred and selected alternate embodiments of thepresent invention, as illustrated in FIGS. 1-4, specific terminology isemployed for the sake of clarity. The invention, however, is notintended to be limited to the specific terminology so selected, and itis to be understood that each specific element includes all technicalequivalents that operate in a similar manner to accomplish similarfunctions.

Referring now to FIGS. 1-3, the present invention in a preferredembodiment is a packable hunting stool apparatus 10, comprising, ingeneral, backplane 20, seat 60, and backrest 70. Backplane 20 preferablyhas upper section 30, lower section 40 and leg section 50, wherein legsection 50 preferably forms a lower termination of backplane 20 andwherein leg section 50 comprises right leg 45 a and left leg 45 b. Framepad 170 is preferably carried by backplane 20, wherein frame pad 170 ispreferably constructed from a dense foam material suitable for providinga comfortable surface for a hunter to lean against, such as, forexemplary purposes only, foam rubber.

Seat 60 preferably has cover 80 thereon, wherein cover 80 has seat pad85 thereunder, and wherein seat pad 85 is affixed to seat platform 87.Seat 60 is preferably constructed from a dense foam material suitablefor providing a comfortable seating surface for a hunter to sit upon,such as, for exemplary purposes only, foam rubber. Right support 88 aand left support 88 b extend from front edge 89 of seat platform 87 toleg section 50. Right support 88 a is attached to front edge 89 of seatplatform 87 and attached to right leg 45 a. Left support 88 b isattached to front edge 89 of seat platform 87 and attached to left leg45 b.

Equipment is preferably stored in side storage compartments 210 a and210 b, and/or lower storage compartment 90. Accordingly, preferablylocated at sides 213 a and 213 b of backplane 20 are side storagecompartments 210 a and 210 b, wherein side storage compartments 210 aand 210 b are cylindrical in shape, similar to duffel bags. Side storagecompartments 210 a and 210 b have each one end 211 a and 211 b open,respectively, which ends 211 a and 211 b, respectively, are secured viadrawstrings 212 a and 212 b, respectively.

Storage section 90 is preferably located below seat 60, wherein storagesection 90 has storage cover 100 having zipper 92 therein, wherebystorage section 90 is accessible via zipper 92. Storage cover 100 ofstorage section 90 covers right support 88 a and left support 88 b andstorage section 90 is fixably attached to seat 60 and to top 52 of legsection 50, thereby fully enclosing storage section 90. Bottom 94 ofstorage section 90 has first eye 120 a and second eye 120 b positionedthereon, wherein first eye 120 a and second eye 120 b provide attachmentpoints for securing devices, such as, for exemplary purposes only,bungee straps 110 and 112, as set forth more fully below. Third eye 120c and fourth eye 120 d are positioned on right leg 45 a and left leg 45b, respectively and provide additional attachment points for bungeestraps 110 and 112. First eye 120 a, second eye 120 b, third eye 120 cand fourth eye 120 d form a rectangular pattern covering bottom 94 ofstorage section 90.

Storage section 90 may be further utilized to carry sleeping bag S orsimilar roll-shaped object, wherein sleeping bag S is restrained viaelastic members, such as, for exemplary purposes only, bungee straps 110and 112.

First bungee strap 110 preferably has first end 132 a and second end 132b, wherein first hook 130 a is attached to first end 132 a and secondhook 130 b is attached to second end 132 b. Second bungee strap 112 hasfirst end 142 a and second end 142 b, wherein first hook 140 a isattached to first end 142 a and second hook 140 b is attached to secondend 142 b.

In order to store sleeping bag S under storage area 90, first hook 130 ais preferably inserted into first eye 120 a and first bungee strap 110extends across bottom 94 of storage section 90 over sleeping bag S,wherein second hook 130 b is preferably inserted into fourth eye 120 d.First hook 140 a is inserted into second eye 120 b and second bungeestrap 112 extends across bottom 94 of storage section 90 over sleepingbag S, wherein second hook 140 b is inserted into third eye 120 c. Itshould be recognized by those skilled in the art that otherconfigurations may be desirable, depending upon application and articlesto be carried.

In use, apparatus 10 is preferably transported to a desired location bya user via straps 180 a and 180 b passing over the user's shoulders,wherein pads 195 a and 195 b are placed on user's shoulders, and whereinbelt 202 is passed around user's chest. For added comfort, the user mayhold tabs 200 a and 200 b. Straps 180 a and 180 b are secured to rightupper mounting point 230 a and left upper mounting point 230 b,respectively, wherein straps 180 a and 180 b are further attached toright lower mounting point 190 a and left lower mounting point 190 b,respectively. As described above, the user's sleeping bag may betransported coincidentally with apparatus 10 via confinement by bungeestraps 110 and 112 against lower storage section 90.

During transport, and particularly in certain game seasons, it isdesirable to utilize a brightly discernible color to identify a hunter,such as, for exemplary purposes only, bright orange during big gamehunting season. For use during such times, a means is required forchanging the from a camouflage color to such a brightly discerniblecolor.

Accordingly, roll cover sheet 150 is preferably carried by top section30 of backplane 20, wherein roll cover sheet 150 comprises a sheet ofmaterial having camouflage coloring on the obverse thereof, and adistinguishable color, such as, for exemplary purposes only, brightorange, blue, green or red on the reverse thereof. Roll cover sheet 150is secured via first tie 155 a and second tie 155 b, wherein first tie155 a secures first end 160 a of roll cover sheet 150 and second tie 155b secures second end 160 b of roll cover sheet 150. First tie 155 a andsecond tie 155 b may comprise, for exemplary purposes only, string ties,hook-and-loop fasteners, bungee straps, elastic bands, or the like. Asshown in FIG. 2B, roll cover sheet 150 is preferably deployed byloosening ties 155 a and 155 b, whereby roll cover 150 falls forwardover backrest 70 and seat 60, thereby providing a large expanse of colorfor immediate recognition when viewing a hunter from the rear.

Once a hunter reaches a selected site, apparatus 10 is preferablyremoved and placed on ground surface G, wherein legs 45 a and 45 b arepreferably proximal to, and in contact with, ground surface G. Uppersection 30 of apparatus 10 may then be leaned against tree T, therebyproviding support via ground surface G and tree T. A hunter then may siton seat 60 of apparatus 10, leaning back against section 70 to assume acomfortable position. Upon arrival of game in the vicinity, the huntercan selectively observe or harvest the game. If the hunter wishes toremain quiet and motionless to observe game, the hunter will remaincomfortably seated on apparatus 10. Alternately, should the hunterdesire to take the game, the hunter can shoot a weapon from the seatedposition, or can stand and shoot.

Referring now more specifically to FIG. 4, illustrated therein is adetail view of an alternate embodiment of device 10, wherein thealternate embodiment shown in FIG. 4 is substantially equivalent in formand function to that of the preferred embodiment detailed andillustrated in FIGS. 1-3 except as hereinafter specifically referenced.Specifically, the alternate embodiment of FIG. 4 comprises a packablehunting stool apparatus 10 having kickstand 400, wherein kickstand 400can be moved from position A to position B, and wherein kickstand 400permits packable hunting stool apparatus 10 to stand freely, without theneed to lean against tree T. When a hunter wishes to utilize apparatus10 in a clear area away from trees or other support surface, the huntercan extend kickstand 400, thereby providing a third leg for support ofapparatus 10 in an upright aspect. When a tree is available to leanapparatus 10, or when a hunter wishes to transport apparatus 10,kickstand 400 can be retracted.

In an alternate embodiment of the present invention, seat 60 isconfigured and adapted to fold upward against upper section 30 ofbackplane 20.

In yet another embodiment of the present invention, legs 45 a and 45 bcan be extended to provide height adjustment for the hunter's comfort.

The foregoing description and drawings comprise illustrative embodimentsof the present invention. Having thus described preferred embodiments ofthe present invention, it should be noted by those skilled in the artthat the within disclosures are exemplary only, and that various otheralternatives, adaptations, and modifications may be made within thescope of the present invention. Merely listing or numbering the steps ofa method in a certain order does not constitute any limitation on theorder of the steps of that method. Many modifications and otherembodiments of the invention will come to mind to one skilled in the artto which this invention pertains having the benefit of the teachingspresented in the foregoing descriptions and the associated drawings.Although specific terms may be employed herein, they are used in ageneric and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation.Accordingly, the present invention is not limited to the specificembodiments illustrated herein, but is limited only by the followingclaims.

1. A seating apparatus comprising: a backplane; a seat carried by said backplane; and at least two straps for transporting said apparatus upon a person, wherein said at least two straps are carried by said backplane.
 2. The seating apparatus of claim 1, wherein said backplane comprises first end, middle section and second end, and wherein said second end comprises at least two legs.
 3. The seating apparatus of claim 1 having a side storage compartment.
 4. The seating apparatus of claim 3, wherein said a side storage compartment is closed via a drawstring.
 5. The seating apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a lower storage compartment.
 6. The seating apparatus of claim 5, wherein said lower storage compartment further comprises means for entry.
 7. The seating apparatus of claim 6, wherein said means for entry comprises a zipper.
 8. The seating apparatus of claim 7, wherein said lower storage compartment is closably secured via said zipper.
 9. The seating apparatus of claim 1, further comprising means for carrying a sleeping bag.
 10. The seating apparatus of claim 9, wherein said means for carrying a sleeping bag comprises bungee cords.
 11. The seating apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a movable support kickstand.
 12. The seating apparatus of claim 1, further comprising camouflage covering thereon.
 13. The seating apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a colored cover sheet.
 14. The seating apparatus of claim 13, wherein said cover sheet comprises a distinguishable bright color on a first side thereof.
 15. The seating apparatus of claim 14, wherein said bright color is selected from the group consisting of orange, blue, green and red.
 16. The seating apparatus of claim 13, wherein said cover sheet further comprises a camouflage pattern on a second side thereof.
 17. The seating apparatus of claim 3, wherein said side storage compartment comprises a plurality of side storage compartments.
 18. The seating apparatus of claim 3, wherein said at least one side storage compartment comprises a generally cylindrical shape.
 19. The seating apparatus of claim 13, wherein said cover sheet is carried by top portion of said backplane and wherein said sheet can be deployed to cover said upper and middle portions of said backplane and said seat.
 20. A method of hunting, wherein said method comprises the steps of: a. obtaining a packable hunting seat having a backplane, wherein said backplane comprises first end, middle section and second end, and wherein said second end comprises at least two legs, said hunting seat further comprising a seating platform carried by said backplane and a strap for transporting said hunting seat, wherein said strap is carried by said backplane; b. placing said hunting seat in contact with a ground surface, wherein said at least two legs are in contact with said ground surface; c. sitting on said hunting seat; and d. waiting for game to arrive, whereby the game may be harvested or observed.
 21. An apparatus for providing support to a seated person, said apparatus comprising: a seating apparatus comprising: a backplane, wherein said backplane comprises first end, middle section and second end, and wherein said second end comprises at least two legs; a seat carried by said backplane; a storage compartment; a lower storage compartment; a deployable color change cover sheet having camouflage coloring on a first side thereof and a distinguishable bright color on a second side thereof; and at least two straps for supporting said apparatus on a user, wherein said at least two straps are carried by said backplane. 